The Order: 1886 (PS4)

Being fashionably late to the PS4 party, The Order 1886 was one of those games I became aware of years back and found myself stunned by how totally gorgeous the thing looks - this and needing to find out how the reboot Tomb Raider series carried on and ended cemented my desire for getting a PS4. The optimum thing contingent on the deal of course being price...Obviously, given The Order came out in 2015, it's taken some time, but I'm seriously glad I finally got there.All negative reviews of this game from when it was originally released aside, the first thing you notice as soon as put the thing in your basic PS4 is - suddenly - its like you're playing on a PS4 Pro, the graphics here are out there park gorgeous, even for current generation games you're hard-pressed to find a more handsome, detailed game world that absolutely captures the essence of its Steampunk inspired alternative Victorian England.Game wise you play as protagonist Galahad - a bellowing, perpetually furious throwback to a bygone age of literary character such as Alan Quartermane and Bulldog Drummond: you're kind of like a Victorian era James Bond, neither suave nor stylish - but this perpetually clenched fist of righteous fury just waiting for a face to pummel, a limb to break, a neck to snap.You're part of an order based on the original Arthurian Knights of the Round Table in a Knight vs Werewolves and Vampires story, which on paper sounds as ludicrous as it does actually writing it out loud - yet the incredible thing is - it actually works.Though entirely linier with only the scantest lip-service placed on exploration, most boss fights settled wholly by QuickTime events - The Order nevertheless delivers a story of such audacity and style, you can easily forgive it its shortcomings and just revel in its absolute delights.Gameplay consists mostly of ranged, surprisingly challenging cover based firefights you can attack however you choose - and the all-but-last battle to reach the final villain is a challenge for any game player, even on easy its HARD - you have to keep moving, avoid getting pinned down and really think on your feet to get through it and the adrenalin surge getting there is palpable.There are, as I say, the occasional QuickTime boss fights, a few levels involving curiously satisfying stealth notably more towards the end - but mostly you're playing The Order for its absolutely top-notch story.Seriously, if Amazon are reading you really should do more than think about getting the rights for this, It's got a long-running, action packed TV series all the way through it and all too tragically comes to a clear cliffhanger ending all too quickly.Whereas so many games can leave you wanting less - The Order leaves you yearning for more, with no excess or gristle left on the bone.It's story, direction and production values are absolutely off-the-chart perfection.Coming to this as I did on the back of throwing in the towel playing the StarWars Jedi: Fallen Order, this for me proved to be exactly what the Doctor ordered: in a games world awash with open world this, that and the other - sometimes all you really crave is a nice juicy steak of a game: something you can just sink your teeth into and relish not because its particularly innovative - just because It's honest about being what it is and gets you from point A-B without feeling you've missed out who-know-what flummery and pointless fetch-quests to stretch out the time in-between.Sorry for the length but I honestly can't praise this game enough - it's no 22 hours just to complete the main story - at best, all in, if going for every trophy it'll probably take you no more than 10 hours to complete tops: if you're just playing through for the story, likely considerably less.Combat lacks depth, there's no skill point system, no getting better or gradually increasing your skill - you start off like a bull in a china shop and along the way get handed the Victorian equivalent of nuclear weapons just to settle a riot - as Galahad you are this absolutely unstoppable force brilliantly played - as all characters are - by a really top-notch cast who also performed the motion capture.Seriously, in every narrative context, this game delivers on all fronts - it really pulls you into it and keeps you wanting to play.I can honestly say I haven't enjoyed a game quite as much in years, and I've no qualms about going back, it's a world that seriously should have been developed further: this was crying out for sequels which would easily have addressed and fixed its shortcomings.I'm disappointed there wasn't ever more yet so glad I actually got to play this genuinely underrated gem.

Picked this up for under £10 as id been put off by a lot of the negative coverage and am so glad i did because what a ride. Is it short ? Yes unfortunately so, are there some odd design decisions like QTE's again yes though luckily these are relatively infrequent but what a story. This has been for me one of the most engaging and memorable tales in gaming i can remember for many years. The dialogue and voice work is superb as is the pacing and art direction. Graphically this is stunning with incredible detail and realism. Gameplay is a mixed bag due to some of the design decisions and action gamers will likely be frustrated by the heavy cut scene driven style (though the transitions are seamless and fluid) ,the gunplay i found refreshing and fun due to the less than precise period weaponry like old BF1942 but again this may frustrate fans of the instahit COD style gunplay, it just felt more rewarding to me. The whole left me feeling like id just watched a superb film and this would surely make a great movie franchise - victorian London, knights of the round table, werewolves, vampires and Nikolai Tesla whats not to like! Sadly we are unlikely to see more of this which the story so desperately deserves but if you are a gamer into your story driven games this is definately one you don't want to miss out on and at the current low price its cheaper than a cinema trip!

The order 1886 is an amazing game.. however I do see why some reviews were only giving an average rating. The game is shorter than other similar titles released recently, I completed the story within about 8 hours over the weekend. Now had I paid full price for this on release day I might have been a bit disappointed, although only a bit – as the content is so rich I cant help but love everything about it regardless of length. Plus I seem to recall the Uncharted games lasting not much longer than 9 or 10 hours each and those games are loved far and wide, and very similar gameplay wise to the Order. And by the time the last of us finished (also very similar game) I was bored stupid (controversial I know, sorry)! So for me personally I found this game just right.So short as this may be, the content is absolutely of the highest quality, the story, characters, acting, GRAPHICS, atmosphere, gameplay elements are all as good as it gets. I mean the graphics alone are in a level all by themselves in next gen gaming.. this is what I expected when I first started playing on my ps4 but until now I hadn’t noticed any huge leap in graphical advances. But the order proves just what the PS4 is capable of, WOW!The world is so detailed and the locations are beautifully imagined and varied.. some of the textures particularly wooden surfaces actually look real.The story I think is quite original mixing up elements from various genres. Its kind of knights of the round table meets underworld set in a steam punk Victorian London. At first I was apprehensive when the first lycan appeared as I wasn’t expecting any supernatural element but very quickly as the story unfolded I was absolutely gripped. I don’t think iv ever been so gripped and engaged in a game story.The character development and voice acting were superb.. masterful! Why on earth cant Hollywood come out with films as good as this!!All of this makes for a very immersive experience, and coupled with the great albeit unoriginal gaming mechanics identical to those in naughty dog titles its an absolute blast to play through. I found the combat elements to be quite challenging in places, especially the shotgun guys who basically kill you with one hit but need a good 5 shots to die themselves.There’s a good variety of weapons although some are better than others. There’s some really cool and very powerful guns but I found the standard rifle to be the best for the most part. However it really depends on the situation what gun will work best.I loved the stealth element of the game in the gardens at night, where you HAVE to be stealthy.. that was a nice touch! Plus some of the puzzles that popped up were welcome additions.The cut scenes do detract from the pacing, and you’ll find yourself putting the controller down while you watch the scenes unfold. I guess this could be cripplingly boring for some, but I loved the plot so much it wasn’t a chore to watch. At the end of the day cut scenes are always going to be hit or miss depending on who’s playing.. I can’t get through a rockstar or Metal gear solid game simply because of how painfully boring, long and frequent I find the cut scenes. The same could be said by others playing the Order.Due to this Its been said that the Order is a very cinematic experience as opposed to a gaming one which is quite true overall.. but so what, its better than any film iv seen in years and was some of the most fun gaming iv experienced in a while too. It’s a refreshing change from all the open world games we get nowadays, its nice to just play through a great story and feel satisfied at the end once you’ve completed it. Take it for what it is and it will reward you…As for replay value, I’ll definitely play it through at least one or two more times as I would watch a block buster movie a few times if I really like it.My only complaint would be all the unanswered questions at the end, as ultimately the main bad guy is not even dealt with. If there is a sequel then all is forgiven ' …. Please let there be a sequel to this!So to sum it up The order 1886 is in my opinion a masterpiece in storytelling, and in realising a completely new and original universe as beautifully as this. It doesn’t deserve the negative press it’s received from critics, so if you can find a copy for less than 20 quid definitely pick it up!